Adam Abdallah jailed for life for murder of Kirpal Sanghera

Yasmin Smith screamed for murderer Adam Abdallah to stop as he repeatedly plunged a knife into the chest of her beloved Kirpal Sanghera.

But she could do nothing to save her “protective and caring” boyfriend, who suffered a fatal chest wound in the “brutal and sustained attack”.

Mr Sanghera, a father-of-two, later died of his injuries despite the desperate attempts by paramedics to save him.

(Police at the scene of the murder, on the junction between Union Road and Radcliffe Road)

Yesterday, killer Abdallah was jailed for life at Winchester Crown Court by judge Justice James Dingemans - who told the 43-year-old he would serve a minimum of 23 years.

Recalling the incident, Miss Smith said: “He [Abdallah] got on top of him and he pulled out a knife.

“He started stabbing him and I shouted ‘you’re killing him, you’re killing him’. When I asked him to stop he looked at me in the eyes and said ‘I’m going to kill him, I’ve got to kill him’.”

Recalling the moments after the attack, which took place last September on the junction of Union Road and Radcliffe Road, she added: “I knew he was dying.

“When they told me, I just kept screaming ‘no’ because I couldn’t believe it.”

Yesterday, Abdallah appeared before the courts to face justice for Mr Sanghera’s murder.

The 43-year-old had attempted to vacate his earlier guilty plea and claim self defence.

But judge Justice Dingemans threw out the application and instead proceeded to sentence Abdallah - a notorious Southampton drug dealer.

Justice Dingemans said the incident, on September 18 last year, was the result of a “turf war over class A drugs”.

Miss Smith said she had known 39-year-old Mr Sanghera, nicknamed ‘Bud’, for several years.

(Kirpal Sanghera)

However the pair only began dating in February – eight months before Mr Sanghera’s death.

“I’ve never been with anyone like him,” she said.

“I’ve got three of my own children and they’ve never accepted anyone before, but they accepted him.

“He was protective of them, but he was so protective of me.”

On Abdallah, she added: “He killed my Bud – I don’t think he should ever come out.”

The court was shown CCTV footage of the fatal attack, which showed Abdallah chasing Mr Sanghera before they fell to the ground.

Mr Sanghera was then stabbed multiple times, despite trying to defend himself.

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, told the court that one of the stab wounds had cut Mr Sanghera’s heart and that he would have bled rapidly.

She said Abdallah then fled the scene before taking a taxi to London, where he was dropped off near Victoria Station.

He called police on the day after the attack and admitted stabbing Mr Sanghera, but maintained it was in self-defence.

Katy Thorne, mitigating, said: “There was previous violence between the two.

“This isn’t a case of one person being entirely in the wrong and one person being in the right.

She added that Mr Abdallah was “not an unkind man” and that there was “evidence of a psychiatric illness”.

Justice Dingemans described the incident as a “sustained and brutal attack” and sentenced Abdallah to life in prison - with a minimum term of 23 years.

(How the Daily Echo covered the news at the time)

As he was taken away, Abdallah, of Derby Road, Southampton, shouted: “I’m the victim – he attacked me. I have the right to defend myself.”

During the hearing, Ms Maylin read out a number of victim impact statements from Mr Sanghera’s family, many of whom were in court.

His father, Gurdev Singh Sanghera, said: “My son was everything to me. My life has changed forever.

“I would do anything just to see my son and give him a hug.”

His mother, Jit Kaur Sanghera, added: “I will never again get a chance to see my son.

“My son’s killer and his family will still get that chance.”

The court also heard a statement from the mother of Mr Sanghera’s sons, Kirsty Hopkinson, who said: “Our oldest is scared to go to sleep.

“They wonder if their daddy can see them from heaven.”

Following the sentencing, Sharon Douglass of the CPS, said:

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Sanghera.”